FIA 'not surprised' by BMW's decision to quit Formula One

The FIA, world motor sport's governing body, says it is "not surprised"
by BMW's decision to quit the sport at the end of the 2009 campaign.

Going up in flames: BMW's decision to quit sport has not surprised FIAPhoto: REUTERS

By Tom Cary, F1 Correspondent

11:32AM BST 29 Jul 2009

Following Honda's withdrawal last December as a result of the global economic crisis, FIA president Max Mosley tried to impose draconian cost-cutting measures with only moderate success.

Although the 10 remaining teams agreed to reduce their budgets by about a third for the current campaign, the manufacturer-led Formula One Teams' Association later baulked at the imposition of a £40 million budget cap for 2010 and threatened to form their own breakaway series unless the FIA backed off.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the FIA said BMW's exit might have been avoided had FOTA not been so stubborn.

"The FIA regrets the announcement of BMW's intended withdrawal from Formula One but is not surprised by it," it said. "It has been clear for some time that motor sport cannot ignore the world economic crisis.

"Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula One when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer.

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"This is why the FIA prepared regulations to reduce costs drastically. These measures were needed to alleviate the pressure on manufacturers following Honda's withdrawal but also to make it possible for new teams to enter.

"Had these regulations not been so strongly opposed by a number of team principals, the withdrawal of BMW and further such announcements in the future might have been avoided.

"Nevertheless, as a result of a sustained cost-cutting campaign by the FIA, new measures are in the process of being agreed which should make it easier for new teams to enter and enable existing ones to participate on much reduced budgets.

"It is no secret that these measures do not go as far as the FIA would have liked but a compromise was needed in the interests of harmony in the sport. Hopefully it will be enough to prevent further withdrawals and provide a solid foundation for Formula One.

"As the guardian of the sport, the FIA is committed to ensuring that Formula One remains financially sustainable for all competing teams and it will always act to ensure that this remains the case."